Simona Halep triumphed in her opening round match in Hong Kong after a tumultuous two years off the WTA Tour.
The Romanian wildcard announced her participation at the WTA 125 event in Hong Kong at the eleventh hour earlier this week.
A competitive draw, featuring world number eight Emma Navarro, Simona Halep will have left lucky to simply be back competing.
After testing positive for roxadustat at the 2022 US Open, Halep was immediately banned for four years.
However, even after a successful appeal in February this year and the green light to compete, the former world number one struggled with injury.
Back competing, Halep notched up her first victory in two years against Arina Rodionova.
Simona Halep posts immediate reaction after first win in two years
Understandably battling with a whole host of emotions, Halep managed to switch herself back on after a wobble in the second set.
Ending in a tight and lengthy rally, the Romanian finally managed to prevail in just over two hours.
Posting on X, she wrote: “Words cannot describe the feeling of being out there on court competing – and winning my first match after such a long period – in the sport I love.
“Thank you for all your support and your love, it means the world to me,” she said, accompanied by a heart emoji.
Halep initially returned to the tour in March at the Miami Open, but lost to Paula Badosa in the first round in three sets.
The other match she played was in the Trophee Clarins where she had to retire against McCartney Kessler in the first round.
Who is Simona Halep’s next opponent at the Hong Kong Open?
The former world number one and two-time major champion is stuck 130 spots outside the WTA top 1000.
With Rodionova ranked 114th in the world, it’s difficult to gauge exactly what Halep’s victory means about her level.
A first outing in several months leaves few hints about her potential going into her next round match against seventh seed Anna Blinkova.
The Russian beat Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open this year in what was the longest tie-break in Grand Slam singles history, ending 22-20.
After Blinkova advanced with just three games lost, this tie may also be a test of Halep’s fitness.
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